Hua Manman’s father’s name was Hua Yusen.
He was a self-made man, having founded his own company at a young age, and was considered quite accomplished.
Later, he married a beautiful wife and had a lovely daughter.
His life was a picture of success, making him the envy of many.
Unfortunately, his success didn’t last. The company’s performance declined due to market forces, and coupled with deliberate attacks from competitors, he couldn’t hold on for long before the company declared bankruptcy.
From then on, Hua Yusen became a different person. He descended into alcoholism and frequently beat his wife and daughter.
Even after so many years, whenever Hua Manman recalled those dark memories, she still found it unbearably painful.
If her feelings toward Song Yixian had cooled to indifference, then what she felt for Hua Yusen was pure hatred and loathing.
It took almost all her strength to keep from punching the man in front of her.
Noticing the look on Manman’s face, Song Yixian quickly explained.
"Your father knows he was wrong. He’s here to apologize for his past mistakes."
Hua Yusen hurriedly chimed in.
"Manman, I’m so sorry for what I did to you back then.
After you left, I spent a long time repenting for my mistakes.
I’ve been sending you money and gifts all these years, and I wanted to come back and see you.
But your grandparents returned all the money and gifts.
They wouldn’t let me see you. They said they were afraid I’d hurt you again.
I’m not saying this to blame your grandparents. I just want you to know...
...that I’ve been trying to find a way to make it up to you all these years.
Can you give me another chance?"
Hua Manman spit out two words without hesitation.
"Get lost!"
With that, she walked right past the man, refusing to give him so much as a second glance.
Song Yixian and Hua Yusen chased after her, calling Manman’s name.
Hua Manman unlocked the door, turned to face the two who had caught up, and said coldly,
"If you dare follow me inside, I’ll call the police."
Flustered by her daughter’s icy demeanor, Song Yixian said hastily,
"Don’t be angry. We don’t mean you any harm."
Hua Manman replied, "You know full well what this man did to me, yet you still brought him here. And you claim you mean me no harm?"
Song Yixian was so frantic she was on the verge of tears.
"Your father came to me out of the blue. He said he wanted to apologize to you but was afraid you wouldn’t accept, so he asked me to help mediate.
I thought that since he’s your father, after all, you might be willing to forgive him."
The reason she had missed their lunch appointment was that she had met with Hua Yusen.
At first, she had been resistant to Hua Yusen as well. But his apology seemed so sincere, as if he had truly repented, and her resolve began to waver.
Furthermore, Hua Yusen had said he wanted to give Manman a complete family so that their daughter wouldn’t have any regrets.
Those words hit Song Yixian right where she was most vulnerable.
Right now, her daughter was the most important person in her life.
She would do anything to make it up to her daughter.
And so, Hua Yusen had persuaded her to bring him to see Manman.
She had anticipated that Manman might not be receptive, but she never expected her reaction to be so absolute, leaving no room for negotiation.
Hua Manman let out a humorless laugh.
"When he was beating me bloody, did he ever stop to think that he was my father?"
The retort left Song Yixian speechless.
Hua Yusen couldn’t help but speak up.
"Your mother only meant well. You can’t speak to her that way."
Hua Manman sneered, "You didn’t show any mercy when you were hitting her back then. Why are you defending her now? Who are you putting on this act for?"
Her barbed words made Hua Yusen flush, and the smile on his face finally faltered, his expression turning ugly.
Hua Manman turned back to Song Yixian, her voice firm and resolute.
"If you want to forgive this scumbag, that’s your business. Don’t drag me into it. I would rather die than ever call him ’Dad’ again in this lifetime."
That last sentence instantly enraged Hua Yusen.
Fury surged through him.
He grabbed Manman’s arm and snarled, his expression savage.
"You little brat! If it weren’t for your mother and me, would you even be here?
I spent my money to feed and clothe you, raising you like a little Princess, and now you disown me as your father just because I hit you a few times?
You ungrateful mutt!"
Song Yixian was startled by his sudden transformation.
She was instantly reminded of the traumatic experiences of his abuse. Her body began to tremble uncontrollably, and her face turned deathly pale.
Hua Manman, however, was not at all surprised by his reaction.
’When it comes to domestic violence, if it happens once, it will happen countless times. It’s almost impossible for someone like that to change.’
’No matter how good his act was, the moment he got angry, he would revert to his old ways.’
’Only a naive fool like Song Yixian would believe he had actually repented.’
Hua Yusen thought his fury would intimidate Manman.
But Manman simply looked at him calmly and spoke slowly, her tone utterly detached.
"You call me a mutt, so what does that make you? An old son of a bitch?"
At her provocation, the last thread of reason in Hua Yusen’s mind snapped. Rage instantly consumed him.
At that moment, he cared about nothing but teaching this insolent brat a vicious lesson.
It was as if this was the only way to vent the rage pent up inside him.
Amidst Song Yixian’s terrified screams, Hua Yusen raised his right hand and brought it swinging viciously toward Hua Manman’s cheek!
But in the next moment...
...Hua Manman caught his wrist in a firm grip.
Hua Manman was slender, her arm only half the thickness of Hua Yusen’s, but her strength was surprisingly great.
No matter how hard Hua Yusen struggled, he couldn’t break free from her grip.
Hua Manman raised her right hand, fingers clenched into a tight fist, and swung, smashing it into Hua Yusen’s cheek with all her strength!
’She’d wanted to do this from the first moment she saw him.’
The punch knocked some of Hua Yusen’s teeth clean out of his mouth.
The force of the blow sent him stumbling to the side.
Hua Manman let go, letting him crash pathetically against the wall.
Hua Yusen clutched his cheek and spat out a mouthful of blood, which contained two of his teeth.
The intense pain made his expression even more contorted.
Hua Manman watched him with cold eyes, her voice frighteningly calm.
"I couldn’t fight back when you used to hit me. Now, if you dare to touch me again, I promise I’ll pay you back twofold."
Hua Yusen was fuming. He wanted to let loose a torrent of curses, but the moment he opened his mouth, the pain stopped him. He couldn’t say a word.
Just then, neighbors started opening their doors, poking their heads out to see what was going on.
A concerned neighbor from across the hall was even holding her phone, ready to call the police at a moment’s notice.
Humiliated, Hua Yusen covered his face and scurried away.